Prepping for squirrel hunting …

[Okie Hog]

You may want to contact Oklahoma wildlife. I believe I read you can only use shotguns for squirrel.

See page 49 of of Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting regs:

"Legal Means of Taking Shotgun (conventional or muzzleloading), rifle (conventional or muzzleloading), handgun, archery equipment, legal raptors, hand-propelled missile, air-propelled missile and slingshot."

i sometimes take squirrels and rabbits using a .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle. "Barking" squirrels is fun.

 

[david w]

See page 49 of of Oklahoma Fishing and Hunting regs:

"Legal Means of Taking Shotgun (conventional or muzzleloading), rifle (conventional or muzzleloading), handgun, archery equipment, legal raptors, hand-propelled missile, air-propelled missile and slingshot."

i sometimes take squirrels and rabbits using a .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle. "Barking" squirrels is fun.

I guess my Google Fu ain't so great! Doesn't Oklahoma have a caliber restriction? We can't use above .36 in Arkansas. I was out deer hunting once and a squirrel was about 10 ft. above me, barking for over an hour. I shot it with my 62 caliber. There was four paws, a tail, and a head with a strip of fur in-between.

 

[Shawrco]

The air propelled missiles (.177 pellets) coming out of the Gamo on my back porch do a pretty good job (probably shouldn’t have said that here it was for clarification purposes )

 

[Okie Hog]

Doesn't Oklahoma have a caliber restriction?

Not for small game. For deer hunting the muzzleloader must be .40 caliber or larger.

 

[david w]

Not for small game. For deer hunting the muzzleloader must be .40 caliber or larger.

Interesting. I wish Arkansas laws were different. We can hunt .40 for deer, .40 for rabbit, but for squirrel, .36 is maximum. I wonder just what logic they follow?

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Interesting. I wish Arkansas laws were different. We can hunt .40 for deer, .40 for rabbit, but for squirrel, .36 is maximum. I wonder just what logic they follow?

David, according to the AGFC website, the maximum ML calibers are .40 for squirrels, and .40 for rabbits. This is unless a deer, bear, or coyote season is open in conjunction with said small game season. Then any caliber is allowed that is also allowed for said larger game season.

 

[Jayhawkdan]

Well, Okie, that rifle right there will do just fine for squirrels. One word of caution - when using a rifle (even a .22 unmentionable) NEVER shoot at one where the bullet won't be stopped by a tree trunk, ground, or limb. When that ball comes down (and it will), it is lethal to anything it hits.

My hunting buddies and I've hunted squirrels over 70 years with about every caliber and gauge you'll ever see. Good safety habits and common sense always. Enjoy the rifle you have. I'd have loved to have one just like it at one time, but no one made them yet. By the way ..25 squirrel daily limit !!!! Wow. We get six in Missouri.

No Sheriff John, the "ball" will not be lethal to anything it hits! It is a basic tenant of firearms safety that a person should always make sure they have a back stop for the projectiles they shoot (except apparently for shotguns). That lethality is completely dependent upon the speed with which it strikes something, NOT the fact that it "comes down."

Well, Okie, that rifle right there will do just fine for squirrels. One word of caution - when using a rifle (even a .22 unmentionable) NEVER shoot at one where the bullet won't be stopped by a tree trunk, ground, or limb. When that ball comes down (and it will), it is lethal to anything it hits.

My hunting buddies and I've hunted squirrels over 70 years with about every caliber and gauge you'll ever see. Good safety habits and common sense always. Enjoy the rifle you have. I'd have loved to have one just like it at one time, but no one made them yet. By the way ..25 squirrel daily limit !!!! Wow. We get six in Missouri.

 

[Centurion]

I think Sheriff John is saying that lethality may and must be be presumed, with which i agree. When i was a kid i used to chuckle at the warning on every box of .22 ammo about the one-mile range. Now i/we understand why the warning is there.

don

 

[snakebit]

A 32 is fun as all get out for squirrels. Miss way more than I hit, laugh the whole time I'm doing it.

 

[hanshi]

I've had a lot of fun shooting squirrels with the .32 and .36 and I rely on those two calibers to do a good job. As for a .50, I killed a couple of squirrels with a .58 patched ball. The first one I've forgotten how it went but the second was a Georgia fox squirrel. I aimed at the back of the head so if I missed the head I would hit the neck. Well, I hit the neck and the entry and exit holes were almost invisible. It was a tiny slit going in and another tiny slit going out.

 

[pacanis]

It's the sole reason I just bought a .32.

Right now I'd be lucky to hit a fat raccoon with that .32. Let alone a squirrel next season.
It seemed to be shooting so well, too.

Today:
Three shots touching, but in the middle one flyer 4" away.
One by the bull, then three 4" low in a 3" group.

So I'm going to French gray the barrel and I just sprayed the stock with Citristrip.
That'll fix it

 

[NorthFork]

I’ve been wanting to get a small caliber muzzleloader to squirrel hunt with for several years but couldn’t bring myself to let got of $500-$600 to purchase one. Not a gun in my safe cost that much. Anyway, since they’re scarce as hen’s teeth now I thought about taking a different route. I was given this little Traditions 50 cal Buckskinner rifle. Not sure it qualifies as a “traditional” muzzleloader but it is based on traditional percussion design.

I thought I’d see if it was accurate enough to use to squirrel hunt. I mean, if your going to hunt squirrels with a 50 caliber you got to hit them in the head. I have been trying several different bullets with it. I cast some varieties of conical bullets and some round balls even though the twist rate is not as round ball conducive as some. I’m not sure if it is going be as accurate as I need it to be but I’m going to continue to work with it. Hey, it’s an excuse to shoot more, as if a fellow needed one.

I got decent results with round balls patched with a fairly thick pillow case patch loaded with 30 grains of 777 yesterday. Good enough results that I thought I’d take a walk behind the house to try to take something that is in season. I came across this “buck” (it really is an buck) and it presented me with a shot. The gun shot well for that shot anyway. Plus I got supper.

View attachment 197136

I’ll go back to punching holes in paper to try to get a more consistent 30-35 yard load for this gun But so far I’m pretty pleased.

Don't let anyone badmouth that rifle. It IS a traditional muzzleloader even if it is a bit unconventional. I have a friend who owns one. It has been a fantastic rifle for him. He has killed a trainload of various game animals with it. People like to put down old CVA's and Traditions for not being HC/PC but they usually are very reliable and good hunting guns.

Here is a link to an old article that was posted on another forum. Short but does have some useful info in it.

http://castbullet.com/shooting/buck.htm